Shiftable stamp holding means



Feb. 13, 1951 J. E. WHITTAKER 2,541,300

SHIFTABLE STAMP HOLDING MEANS Filed Feb. 28, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR J. E. WHITTAKER SHIFTABLE STAMP HOLDING MEANS Feb. 13, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 28, 1946 INVENTOR M44455 M/fM/(f/P,

Feb. 13, 1951 J. E. WHITTAKER 2,541,800

SHIFTABLE STAMP HOLDING MEANS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 28, 1946 INVENTOR (/AMfS 5 WW 774/6579,

J. E. WHITTAKER SHIFTABLE STAMP HOLDING MEANS Feb. 13, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 28, 1946 Patented Feb. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHIFTABLE STAMP HOLDING MEANS James E. Whittaker, Superior, Wis., assignor to The American Steel and Wire Company of New Jersey, a corporation of New Jersey Application February 28, 1946, Serial No. 650,924

(01. EDI-406) 3 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to structural features of design and arrangement of a device employing a pivotally mounted hammer carrying stamps adapted to make an impression in the upright end face of a billet or slab as it moves on a conveyor table,

One object of the invention is to provide an arrangement in which no outside source of power is required to operate the hammer, such opera tion being accomplished as a result of the travel of the billet.

Another object of the invention is to provide adjustable means for mounting the hammer to suit different thicknesses of billets.

A further object is to provide a swivel head on the hammer which carries the. marking stamps so that the head will adjust itself automatically to suit the angle of cut on the end face of the billet.

A further object is to provide means whereby the swivel head can be shifted to different positions so as to stamp either a horizontal or diagonal line of identifying characters on the upright end face of the billet.

Another object is to provide means to prevent rebound of the hammer, thereby assuring that the stamps will always be in proper position for impact with the oncoming billet.

An additional object is to provide means to facilitate bodily changingthe hammer and also the stamps carried thereby.

Another object is to provide'the hammer with a roller adapted to ride on the billet and prevent wear.

A further object is to construct and arrange the parts hereinafter shown and described so that individually and in combination they effectively perform the functions set forth.

The above and further features of the invention will be fully apparent from consideration of the following detailed description and the appended claims when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a billet marking machine illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is an end view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section taken substantially along the line IIIIII of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail section of a snubber for preventing rebound of the hammer.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail of the adjustable pivotal mounting for the hammer.

Figure 6 is a front elevation of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary detail view of the stamp-carrying end of the hammer.

head 39 at the free end of the hammer.

Figure 8' is a sectional view online VIIIVIII 7 of Figures 2 and 7.

Figure 9 is a detached detail of the stamp holder.

Figure 10 is an end view of the stamp holder.

Figure 11 is a detail of one of the stamps removed from the holder of Figure 9.

Figure 12 is an end view of one of the stamps.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the machine embodying the present invention is adapted to apply identifying marks such as numbers or combinations of numbers and letters to the upright front edge face of each of a plurality of billets or slabs while they are traveling longitudinally at a comparatively high rate of speed. The machine shown includes a frame member H] which forms part of a conventional run-out table equipped with a number of suitably driven rolls l2 which serve to move the billets B in thedirection of the arrow in Figure 1. As each billet: reaches the marking station, it is adapted to have an identifying number impressed in the upright end face 2) thereof. The present inven-- tion relates to an improved simple, rugged mechanism which is entirely automatic and which requires no outside source of power to operate the marking hammer.

Mounted in juxtaposition to the run-out table I provide a suitable standard I4 which near its top supports an angle bar 16 on which is mounted a bearing [8 for a shaft 20 adapted to be held in various positions of adjustment by a set screw 22. I

Formed eccentrioally on the shaft is a journal shank 2G which forms a pivotal mounting for a hammer lever 26, Figure 5. By turning the shaft 20 in the bearing !8, the eccentric journal shank 24' can be elevated or lowered so as to thus adjust the position of the holder 28 carried by the The eccentric journal 24 is provided with a collar 2'! adjustably secured thereto by a suitable set screw as shown.

Near its outer end the journal shank 24 is grooved, as indicated at 35, for coaction with a plunger 36 secured to the end of a rod 38 guided in suitable apertures formed in brackets 4042, as best shown in Figure 5. The plunger 36 slides in a guid slot formed in bracket 42, and the rod 38 is pivotally connected by a pin- 44 to lever 48 which in turn is pivoted at 48 to the upper end of a hand lever, provided with a hand grip 50 adapted to be actuatedso as to lift the rod 38 against the action of a compression spring 52 mounted thereon between the brackets so as to permit quick withdrawal of the plunger 36 from the groove 34 formed in the journalshank.

The purpose of this arrangement is to facilitate the operation of quickly changing hammers without interfering with the marking of billets as they travel along the roll table in succession at a high speed, it being understood by those skilled in the art that a great number of billets from a single heat of steel are usually given the same identifying number. Thus when the billet from a different heat comes along, it is necessary either to stop the movement or to change the marking means quickly. The present invention makes it unnecessary to stop the movement of the billets, and greatly facilitates this quick change of the marking means by providing an arrangement in which one hammer can be removed bodily and another hammer inserted in its place, the latter having previously had the proper identifying numbers or characters set up in the stamp holder thereof corresponding to the new heat of steel.

As the hammer lever 20 moves in its normal arcuate path, it is guided between a continuous quadrant plate 54- and two short arcuate guide plates 50 and 58 secured at and 02 to the angle bar 56 and the'upright stand I4. At the time of making the change from one hammer to another, the lever 26 is swung approximately to the dotted position of Figure 1, whereupon the hand grip 50 is clasped so as to withdraw the plunger 36 from the groove 3% and thus permit the hammer lever 26 to be removed by lateral movement from the space between the arcuate plates 56 and 58. By a similar reverse operation, a substitute lever 26 can be quickly mounted on the journal shank 24.

At its outer extremity, the hammer is forked, as shown, for the reception of a roller 0 rotatably mounted on a bolt 66 penetrating the forked portion. The hammer head is formed with a semispherical cavity or seat 08, forming a self-centering swivel mounting for the stamp holder indicated as a whole at 10. This stamp holder includes a shank portion '12 which is adapted to pass through a flared hole M in the head so as to permit limited relative swiveling action of the holder. Loosely fitted over the shank I2 is a Washer '58 against which a compression spring [8 presses, the other end of this spring engaging a washer 80 which is adjustably positioned by a nut 82 screwed on the threaded end of the shank F2.

The stamp holder as shown in Figures 8 and 9 includes an enlarged spherical body 80 of approximately the same radius as the seat 68. The body 84 carries a radially extending stud 86 adapted to be selectively engaged with the notches 88, E0, or 02. When the stud 85 is engaged with the notch 88, the stamps will be positioned to impress a substantially horizontal line of identifying characters on the end face I) of the billet, and when the said stud 36 is engaged with either the slots 00 or 92, the lines of characters will be impressed obliquely, along lines making a 45 angle with the horizontal, for example, as will be understood from the drawings.

A plurality of marking stamps, such as shown at 96 in Figures 11 and 12, are arranged to be removably secured in line in a slot or recess 94 formed in the enlarged body 3 of the holder. The butt ends 08 of the stamps contact a flattened portion I00 of a hardened steel wear-resisting butt pin I02 suitably secured in a bore in the relatively softer steel body 84 of the holder. The front ends of the stamps are provided with type faces I04 in the forms of numbers or letters. At a point intermediate'the type face and the butt end, each stamp is provided with an arcuate recess I06 for coaction with keeper pin I08. This in I08 is formed with an operating knob I I0, and at the end opposite the knob carries a compression spring I 82 adapted to impositively hold it in. The keeper pin is formed with a flattened portion II4. As thus arranged it is possible to remove the stamps quickly and easily, and insert others having different type faces. To effect such a change it is necessary merely to turn the keeper pin so as to bring the slotted portion II4 opposite the notch I05 in the stamp, thus permitting the stamp to fall out, it being understood that normally the cylindrical body portion of the keeper pin will snugly engage the arcuate slot I06 in the several stamps.

The machine is equipped with snubbers H6 and H8 secured respectively to the angle bar I6 and the standard I4. These snubbers are of duplicate construction, and a description of one will suffice for both. As shown in Figure 4, each snubber includes a pneumatic cylinder I20 having a piston I22 working therein to function as an air cushion. The piston has a forwardly extending portion I24 and a rearwardly extending shank I26. The shank I26 carries a bushing I28 seated against which there is a compression spring I30 whose opposite end engages the wall 432 of a screw cap 130, threaded at I30 to a plug I38 which is screwed into one end of the cylinder 23.

In operation, the billets are propelled at a speed of about 660 feet per minute by the rollers I2 of the conveyor table. As the leading end I) of each billet strikes the stamps 96, a deep identifying impression is made in the upright end face of the billet, it being understood that the billets on the runou': table are in a red hot or incandescent state. If the billet has not been cut truly square, the die holder will swivel on its spherical head to a position parallel to the billet end, in which position it will be held by the spring '38. Upon impact, the hammer will swing up in an are about the journal 20. At the upper end of its stroke the hammer will strike the piston rod of snubber I I5, which lessens the shock and prevents rebound. It is desirable to prevent rebound at this point, since this allows for more time for a billet to pass through under the hammer head 20.

w While the hammer arm is up, a billet passes and when the hammer arm falls the roller Sq-strikes and rides on the top surface of the billet, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1. After the billet passes beyond the roller 5 the hammer arm falls to the full-line position of Figure 1 and is prevented from rebounding by the air-cushioned piston of the snubber I I8. Preventing rebound at this stage is considered more important than the prevention of rebound on the upswing. When the billets are traveling at a high-rate of speed and are from 8 to 12 feet apart, any rebound would cause the stamps to engage the billets at a point too high on the end face or to miss them altogether.

The mechanism disclosed herein'apart from the stamping head is not claimed in this application for the reason that it is claimed in my divisional application Serial No. 171,116, filed June 29, 1950. a

While I have described quite precisely a construction and arrangement of parts which an actual reduction to practice shows is highly desirable, it is not to be construed that I am limited thereto, incevarious modifications and substitutions of equivalents may be made without departure from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a marking apparatus, movable support means, a socket in said support means, a passage in said support means behind said socket, a groove in the face of said support means communicating with said socket, the surface of said socket forming a portion of a hemisphere, a hold er having a portion complementary to said socket and fitted thereinto for relative universal movement, means on said complementary portion extending through said passage for securing said holder in said support, radially extending means on said complementary portion received in said groove formaintaining alignment of said holder, and a stamp carried by said holder, said stamp on contacting'a surface automatically, squaring itself therewith by universal movement of said holder with respect to said support means.

2. In a marking apparatus, movable support means, a socket in said support means, an outwardly flared passage in said support means behind said socket, a groove in the face of said support means communicating with said socket, the surface of said socket forming a portion of a hemisphere, a holder having a portion complementary to said socket and fitted thereinto for relative universal movement, an extension on said complementary portion passing through said passage, means on said extension beyond said passage attaching said holder to said support means, a radial extension on said complementary portion received in said groove for maintaining alignment of said holder, and a stamp carried by said holder, said stamp on contacting a surface automatically squaring itself therewith by universal movement of said holder with respect to said support means.

3. In a marking apparatus, movable support means, a socket in said support means, an outwardly flared passage in said support means hehind said socket, a plurality of grooves in the face of said support means communicating with said socket and extending in different directions therefrom, the surface of said socket forming a, portion of a hemisphere, a holder having a portion complementary to said socket and fitted thereinto for relative universal movement, an extension on said complementary portion passing through said passage, means on said extension beyond said passage attaching said holder to said support means, a radial extension on said complementary portion receivable in any one of said grooves for maintaining said holder in alignment with the support means in any one of a plurality of positions, and a stamp carried by said holder, said stamp on contacting a surface automatically squaring itself therewith by universal movement of said holder with respect to said support means.

JAMES E. WHITTAKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 124,655 Bailey Mar. 19, 1872 443,119 Slick Dec. 23, 1890 805,360 Hinde Nov. 21, 1905 807,850 McCafirey Dec. 19, 1905 902,436 McFarland Oct. 27, 1908 933,733 Unger Sept. 7, 1909 1,061,862 Molt May 13, 1913 1,078,601 Matthews Nov. 11, 1913 1,259,904 Pennington Mar. 19, 1918 1,786,028 Pannier Dec. 23, 1930 1,827,260 Powers Oct. 13, 1931 1,896,548 Lunden Feb. 7, 1933 2,271,500 Rickenbach Jan. 27, 1942 2,282,932 Burnett May 12, 1942 2,357,045 Hauer Aug. 29, 1944 2,406,151 Kronquest Aug. 20, 1946 2,418,165 Deitrich Apr. 1, 1947 2,418,213 Winterkamp Apr. 1, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 322,101 Germany Jan. 21, 1920 

